Chicago Loses Bid for 2016 Olympic Games — COPENHAGEN — The International Olympic Committee delivered a stunning blow to Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics, knocking it out of the voting in the first round Friday, leaving Rio de Janeiro and Madrid waiting for the announcement which city will host the Games.

Live - 2016 Olympics decision day — (Not all contributions can be used; UK mobiles only; network rates apply) — 1635: We have a winner, people. No need for IOC president Jacque Rogge to use his vote and that means everyone - well, everyone except the Madrid and Rio delegates of course - can relax.

A defeat in Denmark — There's a reason the president is rarely dispatched to a summit whose outcome is uncertain. — And Chicago's elimination in the first round of voting has to raise questions about whether the White House was getting accurate information about how competitive this was from Chicago's Olympics organizers.

Chicago shocked early, then Rio wins '16 Games — Lobbying by Obamas goes for naught as Windy City is first city eliminated — Oct. 2: Chicago is eliminated by the International Olympic Committee in early voting to host the 2016 games. NBC News reports. — COPENHAGEN - Finally, South America gets an Olympics.

Chicago-Rio Olympic battle ‘close as hell’ — COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CNN) — As First Lady Michelle Obama and talk show host Oprah Winfrey wrapped up a day of furious behind-the-scenes lobbying of International Olympic Committee members here, two sources close to the process tell CNN …

The Wizard of Beck — Let us take a trip back into history. Not ancient history. Recent history. It is the winter of 2007. The presidential primaries are approaching. The talk jocks like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and the rest are over the moon about Fred Thompson.

McCain's mission: A GOP makeover — Fresh from a humbling loss in last year's presidential election, Sen. John McCain is working behind-the-scenes to reshape the Republican Party in his own center-right image. — McCain is recruiting candidates, raising money for them and hitting the campaign trail on their behalf.

A Logical Quirk In David Brooks's Column — In this morning's New York Times, David Brooks makes the following two points: … And then: … Now — Brooks cites empirical evidence to back up the claim that Rush Limbaugh's attempt to sabotage Hillary Clinton in the primaries didn't work very well.

Mission Not Accomplished — Stocks are up. Ben Bernanke says that the recession is over. And I sense a growing willingness among movers and shakers to declare “Mission Accomplished” when it comes to fighting the slump. It's time, I keep hearing, to shift our focus from economic stimulus to the budget deficit.

Is Conservatism Brain-Dead? — Over his decades as a columnist, lecturer, TV host and debater, William F. Buckley Jr. lost his cool in public only once — when he threatened to sock Gore Vidal “in your goddamn face” on the third night of their joint appearances on ABC during the ill-fated 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The Vapor Bill - Congress' Secret Plan to Pass Obamacare - Update — President Barack Obama's push for a sweeping health care overhaul edged closer to a major victory in the Senate Finance Committee. Early next week, the Senate Finance Committee will vote on final passage on the “Vapor Bill” being debated and marked up in Committee.

Washington Sketch — Helen Thomas is 89 years old and requires some assistance to get to and from the daily White House briefing. Yet her backbone has proved stronger than that of the president she covers. — On Thursday afternoon, Thomas gave a clinic in fortitude to President Obama's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, during the briefing.